I've Been Steaming!

My hair, that is.

I first heard about “steam treatments” almost 3 years ago – at the beginning of my “going natural” journey – from a distant cousin who lives in Texas. The harsh water in Texas was wreaking havoc on her hair leaving it dull, brittle and lifeless.  She flew to Atlanta at least once a month (thanks to buddy passes) so her stylist could resuscitate her hair.  Part of the process was spending time under a steamer.  

Fast forward about a year and I started hearing more about hair steamers.  I hadn’t quite gotten a handle on my own hair (even after a year long transition and a couple of months being completely natural) as it related to having a good moisture level.  My hair continued to feel dry and brittle to the touch.

I figured I’d try the steamer to help me out.  I didn’t purchase the Huetiful Hair Steamer  because every time I went to the site to order, they were out of stock.  So I trekked over to ebay and found an Ion Facial and Hair Steamer shipped from China.  The picture looked the same as the Huetiful and the seller had a high rating, so I took a chance and purchased it...for less, I might add.  Ten days later and it was delivered and worked just fine.

A few people have asked me about the benefit of using a hair steamer.  My response: “Using a hair steamer is like deep conditioning...on steroids.”  I personally think steaming is better than using a plastic cap and sitting under the hood dryer and that’s mainly because I loathe sitting under hot, dry heat.  You sit under the steamer without a plastic cap so the steam is in direct contact with your hair and opens the hair cuticles which allows the conditioner to penetrate better.  Steamers are also said to help prevent breakage and split ends.  And the booklet that came with my Ion steamer states that the steam is also an effective scalp cleanser. 

There are quite a few reviews on the internet and I’ve yet to see anyone say that it isn’t a good investment.  However, don’t go broke trying to purchase one.  We’ve been deep conditioning without steamers all this time and our hair has been doing just fine.  And let’s be honest, we all go into these product purchases with the intention of being consistent in our use and it doesn’t always happen that way.  *raises hand slowly*

2 ways I justified my purchase:

1. I had some unexpected mad money that wasn’t earmarked for anything else.
2. I calculated cost per use.  Regular salons charge anywhere from $10-25 extra for a steam treatment.  Using that rationale, the steamer has paid for itself many times over.  Plus, I don’t go to the salon.

Have you used a hair steamer?  Thinking about getting one?